By Lucy Wyndham
FARGO, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Fargo VA Health Care System, which provides health care to veterans in North and northeast South Dakota, is now offering vets who have yet to enroll in the VA HCS faster access to VA oncology services.
Vets can call 1-833-309-1349 to assess their eligibility, to enroll, and to pay their first visit to a cancer care specialist. This is a big step forward in terms of ensuring they receive prompt care. In the past, the first step was to make various calls before being given an appointment with a VA primary care provider and then a specialist.
Today, the need for this unnecessary step has been completely removed.
Dakota Inspiring Other Services In The U.S.
Not all VA facilities offer a ‘fast track to cancer’ treatment, though the aim is for all services in the nation to eventually do so – it is both convenient for the vets themselves and more streamlined and both time- and cost-efficient, since unnecessary steps have been reduced. North Dakota alone is home to approximately 45,135 vets (almost 8% of the population), making it the 29th state in terms of numbers. However, around 7.7% of vets live in poverty, which is the ninth highest in the U.S.
Just One Of Many Challenges
Meeting veterans’ cancer care needs is a challenge, as is ensuring they have other benefits they are entitled to – including financial and unemployment services. Often, visiting a cancer care specialist is the first step vets take in order to obtain additional benefits they may be entitled to, including disability benefits. Depending on their total level of disability, they may be entitled to Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU) benefits. Many vets are receiving in the region of $2,900 per month from the Vets Administration in cancer benefits. They may be eligible to earn more if they have dependent children or parents.
How Many Veterans In The U.S. Have Cancer?
OncoLink reports that there are approximately 40,000 new cancer cases diagnosed annually in the veteran group. Cancer is often not a consideration for soldiers, but in fact, the exposure to specific chemicals or radiation may increase their risk of some types of cancer. To name specific instances, many soldiers were exposed to high levels of radiation during the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings. Agent Orange, used prolifically as a herbicide during the Vietnam War, has been linked to various types of cancer – including prostate, lung and chronic lymphocytic cancer, to name just a few. Some veterans have also been exposed to asbestos, contaminated groundwater, and toxins in fuel and other substances used with machinery.
New Treatments For Cancer
Vets who are diagnosed with illnesses like prostate cancer can now receive ‘precision oncology’ treatment. This approach is built around the specific genes and proteins that exist within a tumor. Dr Bruce Montgomery of the VA Office of Research and Development stated, “If we can do this (offer precision care) in the biggest health care system in the U.S, then the optimal efficiency and outcomes can be extended outside of VA and provide better results for everybody.”
Vets in Dakota who are not yet enrolled in the VA HCS can now fast track their appointment with a cancer specialist for the first time. By dialing the number indicated above, they can achieve the care they need much faster. They can also determine the amount of disability benefits they are entitled to, thus enabling them to obtain greater peace of mind.